Caramel Brownies

Once upon a time I lived in a cold, frigid land with howling winter winds and a lack of parking in the university center.  The evil professors took all the parking for themselves and left the poor, lowly graduate students to take to public transportation.  In the bright and sunny days of June, July and August, there were none happier than the graduate students as they waited for the busses to come and whisk them to work.  However, as the summer gave way to fall and the trees shed their leaves, the temperatures began to drop as well.

One early winter morning, a bright-eyed first year graduate student bounced out the door in a fire-orange wool jacket, ready for the day ahead.  Only this was not any normal morning, it was the morning of her first Midwestern winter and the graduate student was ill-prepared in her beautiful orange coat.  While her faithful coat protected her from the milder winters of the East coast, it was no match for the winds that tore down the streets. 

The graduate student was no longer bright-eyed, instead she was chilled to the core, red-nosed and buried under layers of sweaters and scarves.  Week after week the winter winds grew stronger, the temperatures plummeted and the graduate student realized that her orange coat would not be enough. 

Armed with her trusty credit card, the graduate student ventured out to find the coat to face all winters.  One that would stand up strong to blustering winds and laugh off snow as it came pelting down.  Searching store after store, the graduate student tried on coat after coat.  Short ones, long ones, puffy ones and sleek ones.  None seemed up to the task of providing her the protection she needed. 

As all hope was dwindling away, the graduate student found it, the perfect coat.  More down-filled comforter than jacket, just the right length and the perfect mocha color.  This coat would allow the graduate student to not only handle the Midwestern winter, but conquer it. 

The blanket jacket protected the graduate student as she waited for her early morning bus and it kept her warm in the evening hours or her return trip home.  The years passed and the jacket provided just the right amount of warmth when the graduate student moved to the milder winters of the Colorado Rockies and it hugged her tight on her long walks home from the lab when she moved back to her beloved East coast.

As the years passed, the blanket jacket became thinner and thinner, yielding its downy filling to the hands of time.  As the graduate student prepared to make her way out into the real world, she realized that it was time to say goodbye to her longtime companion.  The corporate world is no place for a blanket jacket.  Packing it up with loving care, she sent it off to the hands of the Salvation Army, hoping that someone would love it just as much as she had.

Now don't worry, the story doesn't have a sad ending.  While wandering her new hometown, the former graduate student found a new coat.  A beautiful, plum-colored, wool coat, perfect for her new life in the real world.

Parmesan Chicken and Thyme Gnocchi

Sometimes you just need to eat something unhealthy for dinner.  I'm not advocating going to Popeyes (Love that Chicken!) every night for dinner, stopping at the cupcake factory on the way home and washing it all down with a two liter of soda.  No, no, no!  I'm just saying that there are those days, the days that you some how struggled through, scratching and clawing to the finish line.  You barely make it through the safety of your front door and when you do, it feels like a victory.

You need to make a little victory lap around the foyer as you shed your coat and shoes.  You're high fiving your roommates, spouses, children and pets as you drop your purse/briefcase.  The day is finally over and you deserve something special, something delicious, but most importantly, something simple.  A day like this doesn't need to be topped off with an hour in the kitchen.

My Thursday was that kind of day.  Usually Thursday is a great day because Thursday is bagel day at work!  Unlike most Thursdays, this week we had a meeting.  The king of all meetings.  The monthly meeting.  It was scheduled to last from ten o'clock until three o'clock.  We all knew that this was a lofty goal and were all unsurprised when we stumbled out of the room at four o'clock.

After my long day sitting in a meeting, I was looking forward to a quiet trip home on the train.  Apparently the New York Yankees didn't think that was a good idea and had to play a game last night.  The train was packed with dudes, drunk dudes, drunk dudes wearing Yankees jerseys, LOUD drunk dudes wearing Yankee jerseys.  Ugh, so much for doing my crossword puzzle in peace.

Pumpkin Pie Mallomars

 Hello there!  I'm a Nabisco Mallomar!  I was born way back in 1913 and sold in a grocery store in Hoboken, New Jersey.  You've never heard of me?  Well, if you live outside of the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), you probably won't find me at your local grocery store.  70% of all mallomars are sold to the fine people on the east coast!

I'm super delicious!  Look at my rich, chocolatey coating.  It's so... oh, hello over there!  Who are you?

What are you?  Are you a fried egg?  Maybe you're a delcious ravioli?  Hmmm, you do look kinda familiar.  Have we met before?  Ohhh, I know, we're cousins!  You're from the Wilde side of the family!

Let's be friends! 

Look, we're so much alike!  I'm a vanilla cookie, topped with fluffy vanilla marshmallow!  Do you like my coat?  It's made of pure chocolate!

Oh wow, look at your outfit!  Look at that thick, white chocolate coat you have!  I'm so jealous!  My coat is a little thin, I get cold sometimes.  And is that a graham cracker cookie?  And pumpkin marshmallow?  Wow, you're like Fall in a bite.  Well, more like three or four bites, how did you grow so big?

Hi Nabisco Mallomar, no need to be jealous!  We're each special in our own ways.  You're a classic, people love you!  I'm a little wacky and crazy and I'm perfect for Fall!  People should definitely run out and buy some of your friends, you're only available at this time of year!  I'm also only around in the Fall because who wants a pumpkin pie in April?